Downtown French eatery L'Olivier announced today in an email blast that it will close at the end of the month.
"It is with a heavy heart, that we have come to the decision to shut down by the end of August," the message reads in part. "It has been a great adventure filled with beautiful encounters and friendships. Chef Xavier and I are proud of these past seven years as we worked hard to serve you and to share our French culture. It just has been too much of a challenge to stay open with only the patio."
You can read the entire message here.
Additionally, it reads, owner/manager (and Level 1 sommelier) Nathalie Bonnard Grenet recently traveled to her homeland of France to assist her mother with her sick father.
Opened in 2013 by Grenet and her husband, the chef Xavier Grenet, L'Olivier was the foodservice vets' first foray into ownership. SFR named the eatery one of our 25 Faves in the 2018 Restaurant Guide, writing "Praise be, then, for a place like L'Olivier, which serves…snails ready to stab and eat, like little clams swimming in a bath of garlic butter, ham and almonds. The tender bugs were the perfect entry point into a fine but Santa Fe-casual French meal, the likes of which can't really be found elsewhere in town."
Still, with COVID-19-related public health orders forcing restaurants to keep service to 50% capacity and outdoors only, it certainly makes sense that some businesses would find themselves faced with tough decisions. Eloisa and Bar Alto within the Drury Plaza Hotel closed in April, for example. There is still no word as to when indoor dining may phase back into reality.
We've contacted the Grenets and will update this story if/when they respond.
